Herc’s Thursday TV Talkback!! Chat Here About Apatow on LATE LATE And Fey On FALLON And The Returns Of THE OFFICE And EAGLEHEART!! Plus Brand New COMMUNITY, ROCK, AWAKE, PUNK’D, TOUCH, IDOL, GREY’S, UP ALL NIGHT Finale & More!!

Robert makes the office throw a welcome party for Nellie, and the party planners try to sabotage it. Meanwhile, Andy and Erin practice how Andy will break up with Jessica.

NBC says of tonight’s “Origins of Vampire Mythology”:

When Britta's old flame "Blade" (Kirk Fox, "Parks and Recreation") returns to town with the traveling carnival, she confesses to the group that she needs their help to stay away from him. While Annie, Troy and Abed scheme to keep her occupied and away from Blade, Jeff and Shirley head to the carnival to get a look at the mystery man. Meanwhile, Dean Laybourne (guest star John Goodman) enlists the help of Dean Pelton to convince Troy to join the Air Conditioning Repair Annex.

NBC says of tonight’s “Meet The Woggels”:

When a health complication lands Jack's mother (guest star Elaine Stritch) in the hospital, Liz encourages Jack to share his feelings before it's too late. Meanwhile, Jenna tries dating a musician, and Tracy works to convince his son not to go to college.

gets a chance to wrap things up with at least 2 seasons. It's a shame more are not watching. It can be dreary at times, but it often pays off nicely. My biggest fear is that it falls too deeply into formula.
What a cast though, eh?

this weeks new girl wasn't particularly funny. IT's just that with the extra focus on community it really needs to ramp up its average shows. last weeks wasn't great. they need a run of really good eps consistently. It's just very weird how sometimes they pull it off magnificently and in other eps its just so average. as i said... weird.

There's a dearth of laugh-out-loud moments. The characters just aren't funny anymore.
Are the writers different this season from previous seasons? It's almost as if the writers know that their material is subpar, and they end up trying too hard.
Sadly, The Office is slipping into the territory of other shows such as 30 Rock, Modern Family, Suburgatory, Big Bang Theory, The Daily Show, Colbert Report, etc., which all reside in the unfunny aisle of the comedy warehouse. You'd have to be a bit of a numbskull to be entertained by those shows. I refuse to be a numbskull, so The Office had better produce some quality writing or else I won't be able to watch it anymore.

But what strikes me most is this seems like a premise best suited for a miniseries or not more than a 13 episode sequence without some sort of major game changer. Otherwise, it's just another procedural with a twist. There's less to work with here than with Life on Mars.
Maybe there will be a game changer, but till then I am stuck wondering what a second season could bring.
I am assuming one universe is real and the other is not (regardless of any cheats) or both are fake. Either way, if that simply continues unresolved (with continuing reveals about why the accident happened) this will get old pretty quick.

Mr Issacs- If you read this, I want to let you know I admire you taking on such an ambitious role. I do. And, I wish you and your colleagues success.
That being said, I must implore you to consider dropping this show and resurrecting Brotherhood. I have never forgiven Showtime for its cancellation. Please do this for me. Now. Thank you.

they essentially made Andy Michael. His situation with Erin is a lot like the Michael/Holly situation. Also, this season Andy has been doing things that CLEARLY were written for Michael. I think the end is near and NBC needs another "Office" type show. Big Bang Theory is crushing Thursday nights and NBC knows it. Community would fare better in another time slot.

But it's too much procedural, too little mystery. We were promised a lot more than we are actually getting. The latest episode was the best since the Pilot, but still...we've seen it all before and it's getting tiresome.

And the Dan Harmon Chevy Chase feud will do more to help Community than harm it. And even though it was a season low, Community was still the highest rated NBC show on Thursday last week. Which proves that it's an NBC problem, not a Community problem at this point.

Community was much better last week. I just wish they'd dial down the life lessons, I get it, we all like character development, but I do wish it would embrace the cynical, sardonic wit it had back in season 1. The last 2 seasons have occasionally drifted into Scrubs-esque mawkishness. Still love it, still find it funny, but you can do heartfelt without being cheesy. The alternate universes one was an example of doing it well, the Jeff forgets who Kim is was when it goes the other way.
Can't get into Awake. I downloaded the first few episodes and while it's intriguing and the cast are great, it doesn't quite work. Plus I don't get the scenes that take place outside of Isaac's character's viewpoint. Surely they are an indication that both realities are real?
And yes. Brotherhood was awesome. There are episodes in season 3 that approach Wire levels of greatness.
Hello to Jason Isaacs

Was it just me or was that the unfunniest "New Girl" of the season? It was almost painful on all fronts. Each subplot worse than the last. And Durmot whatever-his-name-is is awful.
I think Awake had a better premise than execution, but it's still the most innovative show on the air. It reminds me in tone of Journeyman *Sigh*. But I doubt it will get a second season and will be lumped in with Alcatraz and the River as genre shows that didn't make it, unfortunately.

But it still made me laugh. The drinking game, "romantic comedy montage" , Schmidt's sushi rant and the you will die here note we're all great. I think the Dermot guy fits in well. Glad its got a second season

...because my tired ass makes mistakes and would like to edit my original comment(s) to fully reflect the fact that I am educated and know how to properly write.
mcgootoo -
Modern Family is gold for the first 2 seasons.

...but the tone seems a bit confusing as if the show is trying to find its way again (ala Season 1).
The future looked grim when we learned that Steve Carrell was leaving. Few shows are successful when given the opportunity to reinvent themselves.
I can only think of MASH as having been successful when the characters of Lt. Colonel Henry Blake, Trapper John and Frank Burns left. However, they brought in a few replacements who held their own and some people argue that the second iteration of MASH was stronger than the first.
I think that THE OFFICE can reinvent itself successfully. However, Andy isn't the guy he was in the past. And, of course, he isn't the loveable loser that he was before which endeared him to fans.
I think that THE OFFICE can succeed if they replace Robert California with the guy who played David (perhaps bringing back Jo or Jan) and then hire someone else to be the manager.
I just hope that Dwight stays on the show. If he leaves, I suspect many fans will too.

yet it had more LOL moments then Community...
1 laugh in 2 episodes isnt cutting it for me Community. and its nothing about episodes being out of order, the jokes are just not making me laugh like they did/should

esp the one where that hoe tryna hoe up on jim. that episode was hilarious. way more laughs in that one ep then from what i seen from community this season...
fuuuck... i think i am a community troll now...

I actually think that its still great.
I'm enjoying Awake also, the creator has said in an interview that by the end of the season we will know which reality is the real one (I'm kind of thinking that the wife reality is the real one).
paburrows_rises = room23hydra@blogspot.com = paburrows = 4we8have15to16goback48

theres only fresh fruit that makes you laugh, and unfresh fruit that doesnt make you laugh
community has gotten really unfresh for me especially with all the repeated plots (paintball, documentary, etc)
i just wish community stop trying to be so smart all the time and focus some more on jokes that will make me laugh.

I love Green Lantern (Mondo!) and Young Justice (Parasite!) along with a good Avengers and Ultimate Spiderman, but the best I thought was Thundercats, love that show. I believe that we get the awesomeness of Avatar: The Legend of Korra this coming weekend. Loved the original.
paburrows_rises = room23hydra@blogspot.com = paburrows = 4we8have15to16goback48

I loved the Last Airbender (animated series). This Legend of Korra had me intrigued. Based on the info here (thanks paburrows-rises), I checked it out online.
Impressive voice cast: Lance Henrickson? JK Simons??? Awesome. Even David Faustino. Nice to see that guy getting some work again.
Be curious how they do with this series spin off. If it has a tenth of the charm of the original, I am in!

Yeah, I love the original, this one looks just as interesting, can't wait to see what they do with it. I was kind of ticked that they didn't actually show Zuko getting to finally see his Mom at the end and that Aang only took the Firelord's power away since even powerless and in jail he still had his people on the inside but over all the first series was awesome. This one looks to be awesome also.

A mindless shit hole. Community was so well done last week... Yet a show like TBBT is #1? It's clear the neilson boxes have been placed is parts of the country that lack... Intelligence. It's a shame. I miss good television. NBC pumps out the best comedies but failed old styles of figuring out what people are watching are killing things. Soon for me only one or two cable shows and movies will be worth watching.

I been getting copies of the show since watching the pilot in september but didn't watch them all until last week. It definitely got better than the somewhat dour pilot episode, gave Emmerson a bit more of a chance to stretch, I actually like Reese's moments of badassery, and I think the ongoing mob plot is it's strongest. Still, sometimes (okay, most of the time) the "person of interest" from week to week annoys me but the individual twists within the plots are usually pretty inventive. I'll wait till the end of May to watch the last 3 eps.

Everybody's corrupt, guy working outside the police force with an insider to right wrongs, etc. etc. Hey, it may not be as good as Dark Knight but I'll take a weekly does of something close-ish.
Oh, and oddly, I think one of my favourite episodes was when Reese and Finch were stuck in that apartment complex, it was just rather well written with some of the quips and plot twists, and they did something different by having Reese laid up for an episode.
Music in the show is actually pretty damn good too. And last week had two former Sopranos castmembers playing mobsters. And one of them was Ryan Chappelle from 24!
Ok, I'm done. Just spent a week absorbing the show so it's all kinda fresh in my head.

Community didn't make me laugh more than twice in the entire episode. (Biggest laugh was Abed's *I need help reacting to something*)
Instead it was full of will they/won't they romance hook-up crap.
I can't summon the energy to care who Jeff will fuck. We'll never see Annies boobs, so what does it matter?
Just be more funny. Make me laugh.

...nobody watched TV last week.
I've been missing Thursday TV due to a crazy schedule, but oddly, found that I'm not really "missing" it. I haven't seen The Office in a month, and I'm one week behind on Community and 30 Rock.
Wake me up when the Venture Bros., Archer and Breaking Bad are new.

and am really enjoying awake. yes its a procedural, but its a really well written one, and i havent gotten bored with it (unlike alcatraz). i find the scenes with the psychiatrists really compelling and just jason isaacs in general. i gotta watch brotherhood.

I was getting a bit bored because its tactic of parody was starting to feel like a lazy crutch, but this week, not being a parody, was pretty fun. Though I am still getting bored by the show having sentimental wrap ups every week, and I like the characters but I have no interest in the soap opera story arcs it's trying to create. Too mawkish.
And I'd still tolerate the office if it wasn't for the cheap, shallow, stupid Andy - Erin storyline. The wholly pandering nature of how it's been written the whole way derails the show for me every week, even when everything else is working (and also affirms for me how using Helms as Carrel-lite was such a mistake, as the shows best stuff come when he's not a part of it).

I really, really WANT to like it but it's lost that sharpness it had in the first 2 seasons. I laughed twice. Abed's reaction to Dean at the door and Annie's impression. The rest fell flat and the sentimentality was through the roof. Do we really need to see Jeff's insecurities AGAIN?
What has happened to this show? It's almost like they've forgotten what made it so great in the first place...